One of the main topics of bioinorganic chemistry is the synthesis of coordination compounds with biological activity. An example of such compounds is cisplatin, which has been used as a chemotherapeutic drug in cancer treatments since the 1970s. In order to acquire better efficacy and smaller levels of side effects, research groups worldwide are focusing on coordination compounds of transition metals as new potential drugs, which was the field of research for my Master thesis.
I have synthesized new ruthenium(II) complexes with β-diketones as O,O-binding ligands, 8-hydroxyquinolines as N,O-binding ligands and pyrazolylpyridine derivates as N,N-binding ligands. The synthesized compounds were characterized with NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, infrared and UV-Vis spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Crystals of three complexes were analysed with X-rays. With an aim to evaluate biological activity of nine selected complexes, MTT cytotoxicity assays was performed on three different gastric cancer cell lines, where one of the complexes reached IC50 as low as 0,8 μM. Furthermore, the results of Western blot technique showed that the two compounds with the best cytotoxicity have an impact on the ER-stress pathway, and can in that way limit cancer cells growth and proliferation.
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